Deanna Ballman, 23, was nine months pregnant when she died. On July 31, 2012, Ballman called her mother a few hours after leaving the home to answer a Craigslist ad for a housekeeper. She told her mom she felt dizzy. The call was lost, and her family would never reach her again. Ballman’s body was found in her car the next day.
On Thursday, a former Ohio doctor pled guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Ballman and her nearly full-term unborn child, whose name would have been Mabel Lilly. The Associated Press reports that the doctor allegedly injected her with heroin after she answered a Craigslist ad to be his housekeeper.
The man pled guilty today to her death and the death of her nearly full-term unborn child, reports the Associated Press.
Ali Salim, 44, faces 37 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter following a hearing in December. He is also charged with abuse of a corpse, rape, and evidence tampering, for erasing photos and videos of Ballman from his phone. He plans to plead innocent to the rape charge, according to the AP.
Ballman’s family is suing Salim and Craigslist for $40 million over her death.
Salim’s attorney said Ballman was prostituting herself to feed a drug habit. The AP reported there is no evidence Ballman was a drug user, though the ad was posted under “personal” and not “jobs.”
H/T Associated Press | Photo via AP